Police say little about child murder suspect

ERIC ERVIN

Published 6:00 pm, Tuesday, March 30, 2004

On March 21, League City Police officers were called to 57-year-old Sam Tyler's house in the 5900 block of Heather at about 11 a.m. On arrival, they found Tyler lying on the kitchen floor dead with a head wound.

Authorities said the victim apparently died from head trauma, although the Galveston County Medical Examiner's has not made a ruling on the cause of death.

The grandson's name has not been released, as he is considered a juvenile. He remains in custody at the Galveston County Juvenile Detection Center in Texas City.

Police have not released information concerning a motive for the murder. Also, police investigators would not say if a weapon was recovered at the victim's house or what type of weapon might have been used in the crime.

Galveston County District Attorney Kurt Sistrunk said the case would be referred to the family law section for prosecution.

Sistrunk declined comment on the specifics of the case.

"It's still under investigation," Sistrunk said. "There's isn't much we can say right now."

The League City Police Department issued a statement saying the case involved a sensitive investigation involving several family members.

It is not uncommon for officials to conceal information involving juveniles who commit deadly crimes, but basic information such as cause of death or type of weapon used is usually released.

The crime came as a shock to neighbors and friends of the victim.

"It's shocking," said neighbor Paul Hockenberry. "All of us are in shock in the whole neighborhood."

"We've known him, many of us have known him for 20 years, and it's just indescribable how we feel in regards to the loss."